According to the professional Association of German anaesthetists houses reported sick in Germany since the beginning of the year, massive supply bottlenecks in the case of local anesthetics.
As the ARD policy magazine “Report Mainz” reported, these issues ran to hundreds of unnecessary General anaesthesia, as local anaesthetics are missing. In hospitals in Baden-Württemberg, therefore, several hundred patients were operated under General anesthesia, although a local anaesthetic would have been quite sufficient.
Even small procedures and outpatient surgeries were under General anesthesia, or a drug of second choice made, Thomas Iber, chief of anesthesia at the Klinikum Mittelbaden, to “Report Mainz”. “In our clinic, it was certainly a three-digit number of patients. Nationwide, several thousand patients have received instead of a General anaesthetic a local anaesthetic is appreciated.“
Lists contradict to the official data
The Federal Institute for drugs and medical devices declared to the reporters that currently only two local anaesthetics of the manufacturers had been not available to be reported. “Report Mainz” reported by lists, which show that significantly more specimens were available or are. Most of them belong to Aspen from the South African pharmaceuticals group.
Aspen confirmed the delivery problems and explained the cause of the production technical problems and limited production capacity””. The professional Association of German anaesthetists urged to put the scarce local anesthetics on the list of supply of the relevant medicines. Medicines, this list would have to always be in stock or available, to a permanent supply in Germany was guaranteed.
Aspen raised prices for medicines in order to 1500 per cent
The Federal Ministry of health have not responded to this demand so far. Compared to “Report Mainz,” the Ministry said in a written message: “so Far, no information of us, that it is the result of the above-mentioned shortage of supply to serious limitations in the patient care.”
Competition authorities in Italy have increases against Aspen due to unacceptable price and the market dominance of 2016, abuse, imposed a penalty payment of € 5.2 million. Aspen had been raised for vital cancer drug prices by up to 1500 percent. The pharmaceutical group has lodged an appeal. A judgment is expected by the end of the year. Currently, the EU Commission’s investigation of Aspen due to unacceptable price increases.
